Living here

The 2014 Telegraph survey placed Northumberland as 3rd overall in England and Wales as the best place to live [ahead of Oxfordshire, Bucks, Cambs and most of Hampshire and Berkshire; Test Valley and Wokingham came 1st and 2nd]. What is not appreciated by many is that one can live in highly desirable areas of Northumberland and get to central Newcastle in peak hour traffic in 20 minutes. Quite a few staff at the RVI commute from Edinburgh, or the North Pennines or Scottish Borders.

In terms of Newcastle itself, new visitors are often surprised and delighted by the classical elegance of the city centre. The famous Poet Laureate Sir John Betjeman once wrote, “As for the curve of Grey Street, I shall never forget seeing it to perfection, traffic-less on a misty Sunday morning. Not even old Regent Street, London, can compare with that descending subtle curve.”

Newcastle is home to a wealth of world-class museums, concert venues and art galleries. The Baltic Art Gallery on the famous quayside hosts some of the finest UK and International modern art exhibitions. The Sage Gateshead concert venue, designed by Sir Norman Foster, brings the most exciting classical and orchestral music to the city. The Theatre Royal presents the latest stage and opera productions and plays host every year to the Royal Shakespeare Company.

So were the Telegraph to do an analysis of the best place to be a neurologist , the combination of academic excellence and high clinical standards, supportive and cohesive colleagues, central city culture within easy reach of charming English villages and historic market towns, excellent schools and beautiful, spacious, affordable housing, closeness to Edinburgh, the Lake District and Borders and fast train line to London, Newcastle would come number 1.